Saturday, March 11, 2017

A Much-Needed Rest

The school calendar is so much a part of my work world, that I don’t really understand what it is to work outside the framework of that calendar. For me, the prospect of regularly-scheduled breaks means that I go full-tilt in the weekend months between those longer holidays. My work world is the business of looking after the needs of children and our relationship isn’t really give and take. It’s more that I give and they take. I’m not complaining, just laying out the facts. There are adults around me to provide perspective (and much-needed humor and kindness when needed); there are terrific rewards in the form of children making impressive leaps in terms of maturity and their empathy and skills.

But the core fact remains: my work world is one of giving and I go at it full-speed. When breaks arrive, I embrace them in the same way that I embrace my work days. Today starts a two week holiday, one that I very much need. I’d like a Spring Break filled with sunlight and warmth. The time change means that I get some longer days; the current forecast suggests that the first week will be frigid and snowy. I will relax anyway, confident in the knowledge that the next 14 days will help me refuel for the rest of the school year.